In the eyes of young individuals, we think most parents join social media so they can be, as they would explain it, “hip” or “cool.” But the real reason is so they can speak for you, unintentionally embarrass you and over all just stalk every move you make. So, you should keep your parents off social media.

I think we can all agree that having your parents on social networks can cause all sorts of trouble. For instance, they will embarrass you. I’m sure that we have all been embarrassed in some way by our parents, so think about this for a second. Do you really want them to embarrass you in front of the world? Any status or picture you post is a gateway for embarrassment. Our parents mean well, but how would you like it if your crush saw that horrifying picture she tagged you in from when you had braces and a bob cut? If you comment back telling her how you are embarrassed, this may offend her. The last thing we want to do is upset our mothers, so if you simply ignore her friend request you will avoid this problem.

Not only will they embarrass you, but they will also stalk you. We are off to college for a reason. So we can explore the real world on our own as we become the independent, responsible adults that we are, right? When your parents stalk you, they tend to talk for you. For example, when your friend tweets you asking if you wanna go to her banger on Saturday night your mom might reply with “sorry sweetie, but she has plans with her mom on Saturday night.” I’m warning you, you might think that they know your every move you make, but once you have her on all your social networks, she will begin knowing things about yourself that you do not even know.

As I previously stated, having your parents on social media can cause all sorts of trouble, but there are ways to avoid them on social media. Let’s get real, there is no way you can force your parents off social media but there are alternatives. First off, you should not add them onto any social media. Doing this will restrict them from seeing posts, tagging you in pictures and making comments. I do have to advise you, when doing such an extreme move like ignoring your parents request, it can make them angry. But before things go from zero to 100 real quick, maybe you should communicate more. Before you block them completely from your social sites, talk with them and let them know why. Tell them you are a grown adult and it is time for them to let you fly and be independent. Most parents like to keep up with what is going on in our lives. So if you communicate more and let them know what is going on, there is no need for them to watch every move you make on the internet. Also, there is a possibility of talking your parents out of getting social media. Such as telling them there is nothing for them to see and it does nothing but cause drama, that way she will stick with sending you care packages instead of tagging you in weekly throwback pictures.

To wrap things up, I would like to let you all know that I personally do not have either of my parents (until my dad made a Facebook last week) on social media and have done all my research through my friends and the Internet. So for those who do or do not have your parents on social media, beware of the embarrassing comments, posts and all the things that she is about to learn about you. Just as a side note, I love my parents and I personally would love to have them on my social networks.